Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, College of Agriculture, Tennessee State University, Nashville, TN 37209, USA.
Cells. 2019 Dec 26;9(1):67. doi: 10.3390/cells9010067.
Several recent studies have revealed previously unknown complexity of the amphibian interferon (IFN) system. Being unique in vertebrate animals, amphibians not only conserve and multiply the fish-like intron-containing IFN genes, but also rapidly evolve amniote-like intronless IFN genes in each tested species. We postulate that the amphibian IFN system confers an essential model to study vertebrate immune evolution in molecular and functional diversity to cope with unprecedented pathophysiological requirement during terrestrial adaption. Studies so far have ascribed a potential role of these IFNs in immune regulation against intracellular pathogens, particularly viruses; however, many knowledge gaps remain elusive. Based on recent reports about IFN's multifunctional properties in regulation of animal physiological and defense responses, we interpret that amphibian IFNs may evolve novel function pertinent to their superior molecular diversity. Such new function revealed by the emerging studies about antifungal and developmental regulation of amphibian IFNs will certainly promote our understanding of immune evolution in vertebrates to address current pathogenic threats causing amphibian decline.
最近的几项研究揭示了两栖动物干扰素（IFN）系统以前未知的复杂性。作为脊椎动物中独一无二的存在，两栖动物不仅保留和复制了类似鱼类的内含子 IFN 基因，而且在每个被测试的物种中快速进化出类似羊膜动物的无内含子 IFN 基因。我们推测，两栖动物 IFN 系统提供了一个重要的模型，可用于在分子和功能多样性方面研究脊椎动物免疫进化，以应对在陆地适应过程中前所未有的病理生理需求。到目前为止，这些 IFN 在针对细胞内病原体，特别是病毒的免疫调节中的潜在作用已被归因；然而，许多知识空白仍然难以捉摸。基于最近关于 IFN 在调节动物生理和防御反应方面的多功能特性的报道，我们推断两栖动物 IFNs 可能会进化出与它们更高的分子多样性相关的新功能。新兴的关于两栖动物 IFNs 的抗真菌和发育调节的研究揭示了这种新功能，这必将促进我们对脊椎动物免疫进化的理解，以应对导致两栖动物减少的当前致病威胁。
